The Frog Prince
by hikaru-yamato
Summary: When every girl wants to kiss the frog, it’s up to the frog to choose…


Author's Note: I do not own Gakuen Alice and its characters.

_It hurts. It feels like my body… No, my bones are melting… Am I going to die like this?_

Those were his last thoughts before he lost consciousness. It wasn't unusual for his life to be in danger. Coming back to the Academy with bruises and grazes was normal but last night's mission was different.

He slowly opened his eyes. He can remember managing to at least return to his room. He was definitely on his bed but something felt odd. For some reason, the bed seemed wider than usual.

He stood up and found not two but four legs, webbed and slimy ones. He stared at what was supposed to be his right hand. He concentrated on using his Alice but nothing came out.

_Tch. I can't believe this is happening to me._ The frog thought to himself. A few hours ago, he just finished a mission given to him by Persona. He never expected that the bullet that grazed him had THIS kind of poison.

"Kerokero." That was the sound that came out from him when he tried to talk.

_Disgusting._

He can only think of one person right now. That person would be more than willing to help his best friend.

He took a deep breath. With the strength of his hind legs, he jumped from his bed through the window. It took some time before he managed to reach the Elementary School Building. Jumping around was no easy business. The little frog was already in the hallway near Class B when he felt the ground shaking.

_Definitely not good. Considering their schedule, this could only mean…_

"Get back here!" It was the voice of the person he was looking for. However, getting to him at this point might be impossible. A robot rhinoceros emerges from the end of the hall. He may not see it but he is certain that Hotaru was on it. He jumped onto the nearest window to get a better view.

A mountain lion appeared in the hall and a golden-haired boy was sitting on it. Like always, Ruka is chasing Hotaru for selling his pictures to the animals. The frog jumped to try and reach Ruka. As soon as he grabbed the lion's fur, it suddenly jerked throwing him off it. He narrowly misses getting stepped on as well.

_That darn lion. _

Having failed his first attempt to get to Ruka, he decided to wait for him in the classroom. The break was over and the students will start returning to the classroom soon.

_What's taking Ruka? Would he realize that it's me if I take my seat?_

Just then, a young boy sat near him. Still breathing hard after chasing Hotaru, Ruka was now sitting beside him. The white rabbit he held in his hand noticed the frog and went near it.

"Ah! Where-"

"Kerokero! Kerokero!"

_Ruka! It's me!_ He thought with all his might. He was certain that Ruka, with his Animal Pheromone, would understand him.

Ruka looked around him. After seeing that no one was inside the classroom yet, he turned to the frog and smiled. He reached for the frog and held it in his hand.

"Hey there little guy. Are you lost?"

_Ah! Ruka's… Good thing the pheromone suppressant I took last night still works._

Ruka looked intently into the frog's eyes. He found a familiar pair of strong and steady crimson eyes.

"Na-Natsume?"

"Kerokero! Kerokero! Kerokero!"

Natsume tried telling Ruka what happened but he didn't seem to understand. Most of the students were coming in now. As soon as Ruka saw Kokoroyomi, he quickly pulled him away.

"I need your help. Can you read his mind? I think… Natsume's in trouble…" Ruka said as he showed him the frog on his hand. Koko nodded his head then looked straight at the frog. Out of nowhere, he pulled a placard that read:

"I was poisoned last night. When I woke up this morning, I was like this already."

"What do we do?" The troubled Ruka asked Koko.

"Isn't this just like THAT story." Hotaru sneaked from behind Ruka. Apparently, she and Mikan had been observing them since Ruka pulled Koko away from them.

Ruka was eager to know how to return Natsume to his normal body. He thought that some invention of Hotaru's might be able to help him.

"What do you mean?"

"A kiss will probably fix this." Hotaru calmly replied. She casts a meaningful look at Natsume before shifting her eyes towards Mikan.

_Eh?_

"Kiss? Natsume? Who would kiss that nasty fox? Er… frog…" Mikan pointed at the frog and yelled loud enough for the whole class to hear.

_Stupid Mikan…_

The class was suddenly plunged into chaos as the Natsume fan club, headed by Sumire, insisted that they kiss Natsume.

"Only the members of the Natsume Fan Club have the right to kiss him!" Sumire declared as she tried to get her hands on Natsume. Thanks to the frog's jumping ability, Natsume was able to escape each one of them.

"Hotaru? Where are you? Ho-"

Mikan was on her way towards the door when something smashed into her face. Before she could get the frog, it already jumped away from her. Natsume suddenly appeared in front of her. Hazel brown eyes met crimson ones.

Natsume quickly turned and left the classroom. She could have sworn she saw him smile. Or was it her imagination? Mikan was left in a daze as she touched her lips.

Back in his room, Natsume found himself lying on his bed once again. His hands, no longer green and slimy, were on his lips.

The next day, Natsume was able to come to class. Not that he attended all of them anyway. No one dared to ask him how he managed to turn back. Only two people knew what truly happened that day.


End file.
